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Updated: May 25, 2026
05:42
An Assessment Method and Toolkit to Evaluate Keyboard Design on Smartphones
Published on: October 5, 2020
Can digital signals from the keyboard capture force exposures during typing?
Jeong Ho Kim1, Peter W Johnson
1Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering,University of Washington, 4225 Roosevelt Way NE Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. jhkim01@uw.edu
Work (Reading, Mass.)
|February 10, 2012
Summary
Software can measure keystroke durations to assess muscle fatigue exposure. These software-based measurements closely approximate force-based measures, offering a non-invasive alternative for exposure assessment.
Area of Science:
- Ergonomics
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Muscle fatigue influences keystroke durations, suggesting potential for non-invasive exposure assessment.
- Software can measure keystroke durations, but keyswitch characteristics may affect accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare software-measured keystroke durations with force platform measurements.
- To determine if software-based keystroke durations can serve as surrogate measures of force exposure.
Main Methods:
- 13 subjects typed on three keyboards with varying force-displacement characteristics for 15 minutes.
- Keystroke durations were measured using both a force platform and software.
- Data were analyzed to compare the two measurement methods.
Main Results:
- Software-based keystroke durations were more sensitive to keyboard force-displacement variations than force-based measures.
- A high correlation was found between software-derived and force-derived keystroke durations.
- This correlation held true regardless of keyboard force-displacement characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Software-based keystroke duration measurement is a viable non-invasive surrogate for force exposure assessment.
- This method can be used in place of more invasive direct force measurements.
- The findings support the use of readily available software for occupational exposure monitoring.
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